We translate and interpret because we know how to do it and enjoy doing it.
WHY JAPANESE?
We chose Japanese as our specialty mainly because we are convinced that translation and interpreting activities should not be performed by unqualified individuals. We think that it is especially in the field of Japanese translation and interpreting that we can serve customers with our staff qualifications and experience. Since it is often necessary to verify Japanese and English translations, English is also an important point in our offer. We leave the translations and interpretations of the other languages to the respective qualified experts.
WHY NOT 'ALL LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD'?
It would not be very difficult to declare here that we can handle every text in every language. It is an important and difficult issue to assure high quality of such translation. Still some translation companies advertising themselves as 'professional' solve this problem by passing the incoming job in an 'exotic' language to the first person who answers their cellular. We do not have and do not want to have such problems.
Y-LINK AND PRODUCTIVITY MANAGEMENT
It is possible to say that experience is not always as important for a translator or interpreter as an ability to get well prepared to their job. We would like to inform, however, that we are proud not only with our ability to get prepared to any job but also with our experience. We took part in translation and interpreting projects in such fields as Japanese productivity management (TPM - Total Productivity Maintenance) and quality management (TQM - Total Quality Management) techniques that have recently appeared in Poland. We are probably pioneers on the market when it comes to implementation of these techniques in Poland with the support from Japanese consultants and preparation of coherent vocabulary database including Japanese and English TPM and TQM terms for making the translation process more effective.
Y-LINK AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
We specialize in technical and IT related translation. We have IT professionals in our staff and it is obvious for us that such terms as 'controller' and 'driver' do not necessarily stand for the same thing. We can guarantee that we never translate an English phrase: 'implementing security measures' as anything even loosely related to 'safety measuring' (in case you looked for such translations, please check the officially localized Polish version of Microsoft Small Business Server 2000). In short, we are of the opinion that translators are obliged to be aware at least of general content of what they translate.
Y-LINK AND INSTRUCTION MANUAL / TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION
We are experienced in translating instruction manuals and technical documentation provided we know what device they describe. It is unlikely that 'remote control' is translated as 'remote control transmitter' as it used to be translated in many Panasonic video recorder manuals available on Polish market at a time. We do not criticize the individuals who do so. W simply do not do so.
WHY JAPANESE, NOT ENGLISH?
Our current translation and interpreting activity covers mainly technical and business-oriented texts but it does not mean that texts of different sort are foreign to us. Such activity profile is rather forced by market factors, which quite naturally drive one's activities to the fields in which one cannot be superseded. In Poland, but not only in Poland, Japanese is considered an exotic tongue, hard to learn, not to mention using it for human communication. This widespread view is reflectec by the fact that some companies hire English translators and interpreters for business contacts with Japanese partners. If the Japanese party overtly requests for using English in mutual contacts, it may be reasonable to do so. Many Japanese, however, do not know English well enough to be able to successfully communicate. This often causes misunderstandings. It is also a common case in contacts between the Japanese and a foreigner that help from a third party is urgently needed in order to overcome communication problems. In such cases a qualified translator or interpreter acts as a cultural consultant.
ENGLISH LOAN-WORDS IN JAPANESE
English borrowings are abundant in contemporary Japanese and it is close to impossible nowadays to translate a Japanese text without knowledge of English. This status quo is also influenced by rapidly spreading new technologies and the growing amount of exchanged information. So far, however, it is not possible to communicate with majority of Japanese using English only.
IS VOCABULARY THE ONLY IMPORTANT THING?
The knowledge of Japanese communication environment may prove necessary not only in official situations but also at times when an interpreter accompanies a Japanese businessman or tourist during their trip in a foreign country. It also influences the way a Japanese feels in a foreign country and the way he perceives it.
We assume that the quality of translations from Japanese depends on the translator skills related to their Japanese vocabulary but also on their personal experience in Japanese - foreigner intercultural contacts. Through the years of our experience in Japanese translation and interpreting we have been constantly trying not only to gather quantity-oriented vocabulary skills but also to analyze situations we encounter in every day Japanese - foreigner contacts. These situations are of special importance because they make it for us possible to cope with quality-oriented difficulties that are still to be overcome in the field of mutual relations.
We will be happy if we manage to improve the quality of your relations with your Japanese business partners.